


Food Fight

by BeneaththeHalo



Series: Courage Magic Strength [29]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Food Fight, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-30
Updated: 2014-08-30
Packaged: 2018-02-15 08:26:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2222280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeneaththeHalo/pseuds/BeneaththeHalo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They started off with the very best of intentions- cooking dinner for a very overworked Merlin. They didn't intend for it to turn into a food fight instead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Food Fight

**Author's Note:**

> Day #29- With Food

They'd started off with the very best of intentions. Merlin had been working late night after night, his Masters history thesis taking up all of his time. He'd leave for the university library early in the morning, sometimes before the sun had even risen, and nearly always return when it was dark. Even Arthur, who was being trained to take over his father's company, came home before Merlin.

Merlin never had time to eat a proper meal, either. He'd grab a quick breakfast as he was running out the door in the morning, and he'd have take out, frozen meals or leftovers for lunch and dinner. No one could remember the last time Merlin was actually home for a meal.

That was where Arthur and Gwaine's idea had come from. They'd managed to convince Merlin to come home at a reasonable hour that day, threatening to come to the university and drag him home if he didn't do it. Merlin knew this wasn't an empty threat with those two, so he had grudgingly agreed. Arthur had managed to get out of work early as well, convincing Morgana to cover for him when he told her why he wanted to leave. (Sometimes Arthur thought Morgana loved his boyfriends more than he did.) Gwaine, being a writer, worked from home anyway, and could stop whenever he wanted to.

Gwaine and Arthur's brilliant plan, their surprise for Merlin, was to cook for him. They were having fish for the main course, but that wasn't going in until Merlin came home. Right now, they were trying to make the marinade and the side dishes.

And failing miserably.

Other than in the bedroom and when they were trying to coerce Merlin into doing something, Arthur and Gwaine didn't work very well together at all. They often argued, and it nearly always fell on Merlin to break it up. Of course, this time Merlin wasn't there, and there was no one and nothing to stop them from fighting.

"Arthur, I'm pretty sure you don't need to add _that_ much salt," Gwaine protested. "We do want Merlin to actually be able to eat this, you know."

"It's fine," said Arthur. "Merlin loves salty things, anyway." Arthur smirked then, and it wouldn't take a genius to know exactly what he was thinking about. "And if we're going to talk about things being done wrong, the way you've cut those tomatoes is completely off."

"How can you cut _tomatoes_ wrong?" Gwaine exclaimed. "You've just got to bloody cut them!"

"Well, you've done it wrong," said Arthur, not looking and Gwaine, lifting the spoon to his mouth and tasting the sauce. "See? Perfect." When Gwaine wasn’t looking, though, he made a face. He _had_ added too much salt.

“So I suppose I’ve cut the potatoes wrong too, then?” asked Gwaine, getting annoyed now. He held one of the uncut tomatoes in his hand, throwing it up and down. He could sense one of his fights with Arthur coming on- petty fights, never over anything serious and nearly always followed by sex, but fights all the same. And Merlin wasn’t around to stop them this time.

“Actually, yes,” said Arthur. “You’re supposed to- _hey_!” Tomato was splattered on the back of his head, dripping from his golden blond hair and onto his shirt. He whirled around, to find Gwaine standing there grinning at him. “You threw it at me!”

“Yep.” Gwaine smirked, that little smile that Arthur had fallen in love with in the first place. Right now, it just annoyed him. “And I’d do it against if-” Gwaine was cut off when Arthur took a spoonful of the sauce, lobbing it at Gwaine’s shirt. The shirt was stained red, and the liquid began leaking through to Gwaine’s chest. “Well, fuck you too, Arthur.” Shirt ruined, and doing nothing more than making Gwaine’s skin sticky and stained, he took it off and threw it aside. “You like what you see, pretty boy?” said Gwaine, noticing Arthur’s staring.

“You know I hate it when you call me pretty boy,” Arthur whined, unable to take his eyes away from Gwaine’s chest.”

“Yes, I do,” said Gwaine. “But it suits you. And I _like_ annoying you.” As if to accentuate this, Gwaine took another tomato, lobbing it directly at Arthur’s heart. It splattered everywhere, completely ruining the silk shirt that Arthur wore.

“Damn it, Gwaine!” Arthur exclaimed. “Do you know how much that cost?”

“Yep. Now take it _off_ , before I ruin it more.” Realising now, seeing the glint in Gwaine’s eyes, Arthur took of his shirt without breaking eye contact with Gwaine. He stepped closer, the sauce in his hands, _accidentally_ spilling it all over Gwaine’s trousers. Gwaine immediately discarded of the clothing, standing in front of Arthur fully naked.

“But they weren’t dirty,” Arthur said.

“I don’t care.” Gwaine stepped forward then, one hand grabbing Arthur’s hip, the other grabbing his crotch. “They would’ve been.” He kissed Arthur then, his lips tasting of tomatoes, rough and sloppy and _wanting_. He gripped Arthur _tighter_ , the blond man bucking up into the touch, so desperate, so needy… “ _Fuck_ , Gwaine…”

“ _This_ is what I was coming home to?” said a voice from the doorway. “You two making out in the kitchen, covered in tomatoes?”

“Merlin!” Arthur cried, jumping away from Gwaine. “We, uh, _tried_ to make you dinner, but…”

“You fought again?” Merlin laughed, picking up one of the tomatoes. “You’re going to have to stop this eventually, you know.”

“I know,” said Gwaine. “But the sex afterwards…”

“It’s fantastic, I know. I was there every time,” said Merlin. He was laughing, happy; genuinely _content_ for the first time in weeks. “Thank you for _trying_ to cook me dinner. But I think you missed a spot.” And, with a devilish grin in his eye, Merlin lobbed the tomato in his hand right at Gwaine’s hair.


End file.
